Inclement weather work garments

ABSTRACT

An inclement weather garments provides a protective clothing that may be worn over, rather than beneath a safety restraint harness. This garment improves worker efficiency by retaining body heat, and also reduces the risk that the restraint harness may become entangled or snagged during movement of the worker. The garment includes a diaphragm configured to provide a resilient closure slit through which a retaining ring of the harness may extend. The diaphragm sealingly closes about the ring to retain the worker&#39;s body heat and keep rain outside the garment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to cold weather garments, moreparticularly to cold weather work wear for linemen, arborists, and othertrades requiring working with a safety harness.

In many trades, workers are required to wear a safety harness to work incompliance with federal laws governing work performed at elevated orfall hazard working conditions. During inclement weather, such as rain,and more particularly in the cold months it is difficult for the workersto wear suitable clothing for protection against the elements, whileensuring the effectiveness of the harness assembly.

Retaining body heat is essential for maintaining worker dexterity andcoordination. When these aren't maintained during inclement weatherconditions, this leads to a decline of worker efficiency and focus andan increased risk of serious injury. Due to restrictions of mobility inexisting clothing, in addition to compromising the effectiveness of theharness, currently available warm or inclement weather clothing is illsuited for elevated work, or restraint specified environments.

As can be seen, there is a need for an apparatus and method forinclement weather garments for workers requiring the use of a harnessfor their work environments.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect of the present invention an inclement weather outerweargarment for wear with a safety restraint harness is disclosed. Theinclement weather outerwear includes a garment body having a torsoportion and arm portions. A closure slit is applied to an opening in thegarment body and is positioned to correspond to a position of aretaining ring carried by the safety restraint harness. The closure slitincludes a resilient diaphragm dimensioned to sealingly close about theretaining ring.

In some embodiments, the garment body is formed of a durable coldweather material. In other embodiments, the garment body is formed of awater resistant material.

The inclement weather outerwear may include a reinforcement base appliedto the opening in the garment body and is aligned with the resilientdiaphragm. The reinforcement base may be applied to the garment body viaa stitch, an adhesive, or may be bonded to the garment body.

In other aspects of the invention, a closure to adapt an inclementweather garment as an outer garment for wear over a safety restraintharness is disclosed. The closure includes a reinforcement base having alongitudinal opening dimensioned to receive a restraint ring of thesafety restraint harness, the reinforcement base has a peripheralsurface for attachment to a body of the inclement weather garment. Aresilient diaphragm covers the longitudinal opening. The resilientdiaphragm has a closure slit defined to correspond to the longitudinalopening of the reinforcement base. The resilient diaphragm is adapted tosealingly engage the restraint ring when extending through thelongitudinal opening. In some embodiments, the reinforcement base isformed of rubber. The longitudinal opening may be oval shaped. Theclosure may also include an adhesive to bond the reinforcement base tothe garment body.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood with reference to the followingdrawings, description and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is front elevation view of the cold weather garment in use with asafety harness.

FIG. 2 is a rear elevation of the cold weather garment in use.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged detail front elevation view of the reinforcedopening of the inclement weather garment.

FIG. 4 is a front elevation view of a wet weather configuration of theinclement weather garment.

FIG. 5 is a rear elevation view of the wet weather configuration of theinclement weather garment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplatedmodes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. Thedescription is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merelyfor the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention,since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.

Broadly, embodiments of the present invention inclement weather garmentsthat are specially adapted for workers in trades requiring a safetyrestraint harness.

As seen in reference to the drawings of FIGS. 1-5, the inclement weathergarments 10 of the present invention provide a protective clothing thatmay be worn over, rather than beneath the safety restraint harness 14.This improves worker efficiency by retaining body heat, and also reducesthe risk that the restraint harness 14 may become entangled or snaggedduring movement of the worker.

A typical safety restraint harness 14 may include a plurality of frontstraps 14 a that contain the chest of the worker. The plurality of frontstraps 14 a are integrally formed with a plurality of back straps 14 b,such that the front straps 14 a and back straps 14 b may be fitted aboutthe worker's torso to hold the worker.

Depending upon the work conditions or work environment hazards, one ormore retaining rings 16 are secured to and disposed about the harness 14as a restraint point. The worker may then connect a tether to theretaining ring 16 and a tie down point on the structure or supportplatform upon which the worker is performing operations. In otherinstances, the retaining ring 16 may be utilized to secure the workervia one or more ropes or cables to catch the worker in the event of afall.

In some embodiments, the inclement weather work garment 12 of thepresent invention may be formed of a durable high quality work wearclothing fabric to assist in keeping line workers compliant and safe,while maintaining warmth. In other embodiments, the fabric may beselected from a durable water resistant or water repellant material. Themodified outerwear 12 may thus be worn over a harness 14, withoutconflicting with or interfering with the utility of the harness 14. Thegarment 12 is provided with a reinforced and weather resistant closureslit 24 in relevant zones corresponding to the position of the one ormore retaining rings 16 of the harness 14 so that the harness 14 canstill function, while the garment 12 provides a line of protectionagainst the weather.

As will be appreciated from the benefit of the present disclosure, theouter wear may be worn as one or more layers. For example, a coldweather garment 12 may be worn in cold conditions without forecastprecipitation. For rainy conditions on warmer days, the water resistantinclement weather garment 30 may be worn alone. For those occasions withcold and rainy conditions, the worker may don both the cold weathergarment 12 and the rain garment 30 in combination.

As best seen in reference to FIG. 3, the closure slit 24 of the garment12 includes a durable and flexible reinforcement base 18 that is securedto the garment 12. The reinforcement base 18 may be formed of a naturalor synthetic rubber material. The reinforcement base 18 may be securedto the garment 12 via a stitch, an adhesive, or may be molded and bondedto the garment fabric. The reinforcement base 18 has an opening 20, forexample oval in shape. A diaphragm 22 is formed of a resilient materialand is applied to cover the opening 20 in the reinforcement base 18. Thediaphragm 22 has the closure slit 24 defined along a longitudinal lengthof the opening 20.

The retaining ring 16 may be inserted through the opening 20 and closureslit 24 and the resilient diaphragm 22 sealingly closes the opening 20with the majority of retaining ring 16 positioned to the exterior of thegarment 12. The reinforcement base 18 and diaphragm 20 may be applied tothe interior or the exterior of the garment 12. Likewise, the diaphragm20 may be applied to either the interior or exterior of the garment 12.

In use, the worker would don their restraint harness and secure itproperly to their body. The worker may then apply the garment 12. Inthis condition, the worker may perform related or preparatory tasks thatdo not require the harness 14 and avoid entanglement or snagging of theharness 14. All the while, the worker remains warm and/or dry by theclosure of the diaphragm 22 about the slit 24.

When the restraint harness 14 is necessary for performing hazardoustasks, the worker may simply extend the retaining ring 16 through theclosure slit 24 and apply any tethers, ropes or cables to the retainingring 16. Even when tethered, the worker nonetheless stays warm and/ordry by closure of the diaphragm 22 about the retaining ring 16.

As will be appreciated, the present invention may include an inclementweather garment 12, 30 with the closure slits 24 already applied. Thepresent invention may also include a closure slit 24 provided as a kitfor modification of an existing garment so that the worker need notspend additional money to add the benefits provided herein to theirexisting inclement weather wardrobe.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates toexemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as setforth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An inclement weather outerwear garment for wearwith a safety restraint harness, comprising: a garment body having atorso portion and arm portions; a closure slit applied to an opening inthe garment body and positioned to correspond to a position of aretaining ring carried by the safety restraint harness, the closure slithaving a resilient diaphragm dimensioned to sealingly close about theretaining ring.
 2. The inclement weather outerwear garment of claim 1,wherein the garment body is formed of a durable cold weather material.3. The inclement weather outerwear garment of claim 1, wherein thegarment body is formed of a water resistant material.
 4. The inclementweather outerwear garment of claim 1, further comprising: areinforcement base applied to the opening in the garment body andaligned with the resilient diaphragm.
 5. The inclement weather outerweargarment of claim 4, wherein the reinforcement base is applied to thegarment body via a stitch.
 6. The inclement weather outerwear garment ofclaim 4, wherein the reinforcement base is applied to the garment bodyvia an adhesive.
 7. The inclement weather outerwear garment of claim 4,wherein the reinforcement base is formed of a rubber material and isbonded to the garment body.
 8. A closure to adapt an inclement weathergarment as an outer garment for wear over a safety restraint harness,comprising: a reinforcement base having a longitudinal openingdimensioned to receive a restraint ring of the safety restraint harness,the reinforcement base having a peripheral surface for attachment to abody of the inclement weather garment; a resilient diaphragm coveringthe longitudinal opening, the resilient diaphragm having a closure slitdefined to correspond to the longitudinal opening of the reinforcementbase, the resilient diaphragm adapted to sealingly engage the restraintring when extending through the longitudinal opening.
 9. The closure ofclaim 8, wherein the reinforcement base is formed of rubber.
 10. Theclosure of claim 9, wherein the longitudinal opening is oval shaped. 11.The closure of claim 8, further comprising: an adhesive to bond thereinforcement base to the garment body.